Scottish grandmother takes windfarm fight to the UN

A SCOTTISH grandmother has taken her fight against windfarms to the United Nations, saying the government is misleading the public over the benefits of new developments.

Christine Metcalfe, from a tiny village in Argyll, appeared before the UN’s Economic Commission for Europe’s Compliance Committee in Geneva representing her community council this month.

Mrs Metcalfe, a member of Avich and Kilchrenan Community Council, described the experience as “incredible.”

Over 1,000 people have signed a global petition urging Alex Salmond, First Minister, to stop the expansion of windfarms

The 69-year-old is concerned about the “bird mincing machines” as the number of windfarms in her community council’s area has increased to three.

She said: “It is the claims that are being made on the benefits and emission savings that are not certified.

“Nobody has been able to prove them. The onus should be on the government and developers to prove claims.

“That is missing at the moment. When it was discovered there was a route by which ordinary people could go and hold them to account it seemed absolutely the right thing to do.

“There are large amounts of money, desperately needed by our economy, pouring into these subsidies. It is becoming unsustainable and it is not right.”

Mrs Metcalfe retired from England to Argyll with her husband Peter, 74, 22 years ago.

They were attracted to Loch Avich near Taynuilt because of its natural beauty and wildflife.

In Geneva she summarised the complaints of the community council, which covers just over 100 homes.

She said: “This is the first time a Scottish community council has asked a treaty supervising body to look whether the EU and UK has fulfilled its duties to place in the public domain the information necessary to enable the public to make an assessment of the benefits said to follow from windfarms.”

Over 1,000 people have signed a global petition urging Alex Salmond, First Minister, to stop the expansion of the windfarm industry in Scotland.

The protest against windfarms gained great interest after an American online debate erupted last month.

The debate was aired on Wind Wise Radio, a weekly broadcast from New England that focuses on public outcry of windfarms.

A spokesman for Wind Wise Radio said: “Scotland’s natural beauty is under siege and may be irrevocably destroyed in the next 18 months.

“Soon there may not be a hilltop in Scotland without a view of turbines.”

According to the Scottish Government, “independent research has shown the vast majority of visitors to Scotland to not see windfarms as a problem” and that “there is no evidence to show they have an impact on tourism.”